Yes, I’ve read east to west is best for rows of rootstocks planted a foot apart, but then north to south best for trees. 
I understand it has to do with shading, but…wish I could find a more thorough explanation.(?)
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After my first year of cider apple hobby orcharding, I am onto “Plan B.” And after this year, I am pretty certain I will begin Plan C. I am learning from my mistakes and staying flexible, you see, as I wait fo make a decision for moving to a new home and [finally] planting the orchard. Plan A was 10 trees–in pots–and 20 rootstocks, and Plan B is getting rid of the trees (on the wrong rootstocks) and switching over to 30 different rootstocks more appropriate for my Zone 4b location…and so I can dig them up easily to take with me and don’t have all the problems of growing in pots.
I just love it when a plan comes together! Now I just have to determine how to combine some varieties and reduce the number of trees from 30 to 20, the number my wife wants to limit me with.
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Mine are in a grid so they are north south east and west. I plant garden rows east to west amd most everything I do is east to west but if more than 4 trees I guess they are actually orientated both directions 
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@Poncho65 How would you plant 30 rootstocks? In rows 4 or 5 feet apart? With three rows of ten/ four rows of eight in an east to west orientation? I want to keep them under netting for hail protection, and to keep birds off. Thanks!
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I have 9 rows of 9 all gowing east to west all planted 3 feet apart. Roughly 7 feet between rows, trees 7 feet tall.
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I am new to grafting myself and bought pots this year for all my rootstock (I also had a collection of miscellaneous pots that I have collected over the years as well that were used) so not sure about putting them in the ground until theybare in there permanent spot 
someone with more experience in this matter should answer you with that question, like @thepodpiper
Here is a link to my similar thread to this one Here
That thread will let you know where I am at with my Orchard and my projects @JohnnyRoger
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Thank you @thepodpiper. I have read 3 feet is the recommended minimum distance between rows, but just thought 4 to 5 feet might be safer when I am removing any weeds. Also read that spacing between rootstocks needs to only be one foot. I suppose your trees being seven feet apart with rows seven feet apart would be better indeed. Just finished grafting the last yesterday, so still have a few weeks for preparing my space. I will definitely consider the further spacing as I have plenty of room on my property.
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I followed your link and read your orcharding projects. Have you finished grafting? I grafted 20 rootstocks with apple scions last year and 19 were successful–initially. About a month later, however, I had some disease or water problems (?), leaves turned brown and dropped, and twelve ultimately died, leaving only seven of the original twenty. The four rootstocks I planted in the pasture the year before did just fine–that was until the grasshoppers got to them and defoliated them (two survived). I have decided this year to plant everything in the pasture, where watering is less critical and disease less likely perhaps. I can also spray for grasshoppers, use netting to prevent hail and bird damage, and by switching everything from G-210 rootstocks to B-118 and Antonovka, I am hoping for better results in my Zone 4b location.
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Unless I try chip budding or T budding them I am done grafting for this year. I have tried to back up some of the varieties on an few trees but I only have so much room. I have 60 something trees so far and hope that most make it but of course that is never a given.
Good luck with all your growing and different projects
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Johnny- I believe the row orientation is for shading and wind purpose.
Sun rises in East and sets in West, trees will cast a longer shadow in morning and evening. The sun is South at noon and trees will cast a shorter shadow (trees won’t be in another’s shadow midday this way).
Prevailing wind is also from the general Westerly direction, orientation of E-W rows promotes better air circulation.
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@JohnnyRoger, there’s some good discussion of your questions here:
Also, see #9 here: https://shop.cumminsnursery.com/pages/help-advice/grafting-instructions
What kinds of cider apples are you growing? I’m starting with Harrison, but I may add more in the future.
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@JohnnyRoger @Katie_didnt_Z4b @moose71 I’ll probably be doing a row or two of espalier or low-pruned “regular” trees running south-north. Then some larger trees North of those. My pawpaws will probably go closer to the left side of the yard so they can get afternoon shade for a few years before the neighbors take their trees down. The picture looking in to the back yard is pretty much due North, so that makes my arrangements easier. The downside is it’s a skinny lot, so any trees in the neighbors’ yards can put a lot of shade on my yard. There are also many squirrels, one of the highest densities of anywhere I’ve lived!
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Thank you, @Dutch12 for the more perfect explanation. Would you recommend planting the apple B-118 and Antonovka rootstocks only one foot apart to save space? I may not dig them up to move them until spring of 2022.
Johnny I don’t have the expertise to advise on that, I’m sure more experience will chime in there
Thanks for the Cummin’s Nursery guide and the other fencing ideas. I have a lot of cider apple variety scions grafted onto B-118 and Antonovka rootstocks. Here’s my list, not all of which are specifically cider, but most are:
Harrison, as you, Ashmead’s Kernel, Black Oxford, Blue Pearmain, Bullock (like Golden Russet), Esopus Spitzenburg, Gnarled Chapman, Golden Russet (of NY), Pomme d’ Or, Pomme Grise, Pumpkin Sweet of Vermont, Red Boskoop, Belle de Boskoop, Wickson, William’s Pride, Winn Russet, Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black, Bulmer’s Norman, Hewe’s Virginia Crab, Franklin, Dolgo Crab, Hudson’s Golden Gem, Roxbury Russet, Knobbed Russet, Banane Amere, Blenheim Orange, Honeygold, Cox’ Orange Pippin, Candy Crisp
The last six, beginning with Knobbed Russet, are still on G-210 rootstocks and rather small. I am thinking I will grow them this year before taking scions from them this coming winter and abandoning them. And I am not sure the Cox’ Orange Pippin is something that will be worth the effort in my Zone 4b location (Montana).
Somehow, I am probably going to have to get all the varieties onto only twenty standard-sized trees–the limit put onto me by my wife–so I have to decide which trees will be single variety and which will have multiple varieties. I am thinking the desert and baking varieties will be the multiple grafting trees, and cider varieties mostly single. Also thinking some may not survive or thrive or fully ripen, and so I will eliminate those by trial and error over the years. Today or tomorrow, I am grafting some scions onto 3 year old trees I planted last year on two G-890, one MM-111, and three EMLA-106, for early trials, before giving the G-890 and MM-111 to daughter and abandoning the:EMLA-106 trees to be replaced by twenty B-118 and eleven Antonovka.
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Snow in Montana this morning as well, but good signs too of a wonderful season.
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@JohnnyRoger, i think you misread my post. My trees are 3 feet apart and rows are 7 feet apart. In my experience 3 feet is as close as i would go with tall spindles. Any closer and IMO you would need to train oblique cordon. This year i am putting in 30 trees on bud9 18 inches apart and training them in oblique cordon fashion.